Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable J. 8. O'Neall
County kttormy sulaher County
Tolls, Taxes
Dear Sir;
Your lsttor of rm3
this deprtwat on the abws
aOuatie8, I have 8nauera4 be aura ot aa t now runs U3 all la Randall slag rua on bleek llas rhiah yarb tmlarr tbe north kae 02 on the 'mmlrh line or Ratoaal.1.
*Xt is de&red to leave 1% 418 It ir, ae to
looation, bet row a road dirrtrfot taking 6QW tire mile8 off the muth ~14s of Randall Couatf and tb 8tUW 0rf the nOfib lm Of $~i8h6r, @2&d the balaaos beta& in Amatrea$ Cbnntf to htW0 mid Arnstroag Couaty take ear@ of that. A plat of pro- herewith. pose4 *2 if. Ii. O*PeaZl, Fege 13
Honorable
*Art. 778a, pr0riae8;
**That, pursuant to l utho rlty oonfermd by Seotion 58, OS Article 8, of ths Conatltutlon, any number or adjolnlng counties hereby empowers6 and authorized to Iaau~ bonds in any amount not to aroead 060-r0urth or l a aea aed valuation or the real property of the territory Inoludod within auoh oountI88, end to lary and colleot‘annually ad valorem taxes to pay the interest oti such bonds and to pro- vlda a ainking fund for rsdemptioa thereof, for the purpose of oonatruotlon, malntenanco and opera- tion of Jnacadamiced, grateled or pavod roads and turnplkaa, or in a%d tharoof. The phrase *any nuaber of a&doininR oountloa* aa ursd In this Aot shall ba to maan two or more counties coatIguoua to conatruad each other.' (Acts 1931, 40th Log. 1st C. 3. P. t18 oh. 601
“I am unable to rind above pU66tiOn ape-. oirloally passed on but the 0888 T. k P. Ry. Co. vs. State 4S S~-S-6tS which was roveraod and ronbond by the 8upromo Court (68 .8W-8-81) IWIU to audaln the ~gsatioa that 8914 atatuta oon~arna dlatrlata r0nua whole aountiea ana does warrant the form- tion of anmller dlatrlota as de#Pred.~
wI hand you plat ol the proposad -r&ad and road 411 thaak you.tor your early answer
district since the coamltteo rUarrad to am very anxloua to know the r lght anawar~ *iSavIng expressed a doubt as to the present law
authorlzingg auoh rcwl dIatriot f ha% requested them to await your reply before oIroulatIng a petition. -xi your aaawar Is nadgatIv*, thsn'would you aug- gaat any other route than a l p~oial‘aot of the logla- laturo, authorizing such read dlstrlct.” Ilouse Bill No. 91, (&tlol~:P 778a-778p, Iacluaive, Vernon*s Annotated Cl~il Statutes) Acts o$ the 40th %!@ala- ture, 1st Called .~eclaion, 1987, Is an ActiauthorIzIng tha creation or road dlstrlota oomprlslng two. or mcr.e adjoIning *3 Honorabl6 J. 8. O*N6all, Faga S
oountlsr pursuant to Section 68, Article 8 OS the Conatltu- tlon; prsacrlblng tha method for the orgadnatlon al such dla- Q-lots.; authorltlng such distriota to vote and Issue bonds ter road bullding and maintsnanoe purpoaeaJ requiring auoh dIatrIota to at&o In general term road or rosda to ba oonatruoted, sne tha amount and portion to sach rood from th6 proceeds or the sale oS bon&at authorizing such dlatriota to purchase or take aer Improved roads already constructed any county or road district Included-therein; proYIdlcg for the salaction of a treasury or depository for suob dIatrIot, enaoting provlaIona Inoldent and nsoeaaary to the subject and purpose of the Act; providing that if any portion of the Act should be held unoon- atltutlonal the re~alndsr .aball not be InvalId, and deolarlag aa 0mer:genoy.
ft will bs noted that Section 1 or the above ntentloaad Act (Art1016 778a) providea that "The phrase *any number of Ad- jqInIng countkes* aa~uaad ln this Lot, ahall $6 construed to mean *two or more countiaa contiguous to each other.** Apparently it was contemplated b9 the Legislature that when any number of adjoini~ counties created a road dlatrlct-as prodat in th6 above mentlonsd.Act tha whole, or rather all of the county or each adjoining county participeting therein was.to be inoiua64 no prwlalon waa'amde shore a portion of two or amro,dlff6r- ent a4 ol.nIng countl6a could oreate a district under th6 Aot, OF a por$ i on of one county and all of another or more counties oould oreate a dlatriot but oalytvo or more adjolnlng oountfoa where all ot each OopntY VJM Included could or6ate .a.diatrict under Aqt.
Arter carefully oonalaarlng the Aot,as a whole, we roapeotfully answer the stat& question in the nsgatlra.
We have carefully oonaldered the case of &ate la. Tax- as h P. R9. CO., et al, U$ 6. W. (84) 81, which Is referred to In your 16tter and are of opinion that thle oaae does not apeoIrIoolly pass upon the qu6stIon hsrc involved. The only quoation In this cash was sihsther or not th6 Leglslaturs had ,&ten authority to road dlatrlots, ocmpoae~ of two mom oonn- ties, to levy and collect a bond tax on rolling stook and Intan- gible aaeets of a railroad, In aooordsnoe with the oaluatioa Md6, es preacrIvaC by law, and duly spportfoneU to a county, aa such, *4 Honorable J. H. O'Aeall, Pa@ 4 we hare reiied rind any
~hi0h ‘16 &ra0ti in the di8trlot. oaae whare the oourte hare parrad upon the above 8tatod pueatlon or a olmllar ques;tlon, However, a8 abort etated, ra of the oplnlon that the above msntlonOd statutes do not authorize the areatlon a mad dlstrlot from part8 ot two or more oontlguoua oouutier.
Tours very truly APPROVED DEC. 12, 19U
/E/ ororer %llere
FIRST AfSISTANT
ATTORWiCY G ERERhL
AW:R8
‘APFROVBD OPIHION GC+&ITTEE~BT B.U.B. CFfAfR#AB.